MSD Partners trio John Phelan, Glenn Fuhrman and Rob Platek are closing in on a deal to buy a majority stake in Sunderland AFC, with partner Michael Dell also believed to be involved in a supporting capacity.

The four investors' bid was revealed at the end of August, with the group are hoping to complete the legals and EFL tests soon to take control of the Stadium of Light club as soon as possible.

A deal has been agreed with owner Stewart Donald after initial conversations with Charlie Methven and the Black Cats duo are believed to be staying on board at the club in some capacity.

So who are MSD Partners and the men whose financial might will make Sunderland one of the richest clubs in the world? We take a closer look.

Who are MSD Partners?

MSD Partners stem from a private investment firm MSD Capital, which was established in 1998 to exclusively manage the assets of Michael Dell and his family. They were founded by Dell and John Phelan and Glenn Fuhrman.

MSD Partners, meanwhile, are an SEC-registered investment adviser formed in 2009 by the partners of MSD Capital.

Although the same people are involved, the two companies do differ.

Their website reads: "MSD Capital exclusively manages the assets of Michael S. Dell and his family. MSD Partners utilizes a multi-disciplinary investment strategy focused on maximizing long-term capital appreciation by making investments across the globe in the debt and equity of public and private companies, real estate and other asset classes. Michael Dell and his family are substantial clients of MSD Partners. MSD Partners operates from offices in New York and Santa Monica."

They key difference is that the investment comes from Phelan, Fuhrman and other backers, and therefore initial reports that is was MSD Capital are incorrect because the money isn't all coming from Michael Dell or the Dell family, which MSD Capital deals exclusively with.

As for potential investment in the playing squad, the company's top business principle could offer an insight. That reads: "Our people are the key to our success. We recruit only world-class individuals who we would enjoy working with and who understand and accept our core values and beliefs."

MSD Partners: From L to R: Rob Platek, John Phelan and Glenn Fuhrman

Who is Michael Dell and what is his net worth?

Michael Dell is the founder and owner of Dell Technologies and is was listed as the 25th richest man in the world in Forbes 2019 list. His net worth was said to be $37.6 billion.

He is not a major investor in Sunderland, with his role described as 'a passive, minority investor in support of his longstanding business partners'.

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Who is John Phelan?

John Phelan is a co-founder of both MSD Capital and MSD Partners and is co-managing partner of both.

Phelan's net worth is not known, but the company assets are believed to be in the billions.

Prior to becoming involved with Dell and MSD, Phelan was a principal at ESL Partners for seven years where he is credited with helping to grow the firm from $50 million to over $2 billion in assets under management.

He has also worked in equity and investment banking and received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude with distinction from Southern Methodist University with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science. Mr. Phelan also holds a General Course degree with an emphasis in Economics and International Relations from The London School of Economics.

As well as Dell, Phelan has spoken in the past about investment mentors including Richard Rainwater, Sam Zell and Eddie Lampert - all of whom are billionaires.

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Who is Glenn Fuhrman?

Like Phelan is exact net worth is not known but he is believed to be worth billions and is an avid art collector, with his collection believed to be one of the most valuable in the US.

He worked from 1988 to 1998 at Goldman, Sachs and Co., where he was a managing director and head of the special investments group, and this is where he and Phelan met.

His education is an M.B.A. in 1988 from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania after sub-matriculating from the undergraduate program, where he studied Finance and Art History and received a B.S.E. in 1987 summa cum laude.

He and his wife Amanda sponsored the creation of the nation's largest free Wi-Fi network covering 95 city blocks in Harlem in 2013.

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Who is Rob Platek?

Platek is the third man involved in the Sunderland takeover and is one of ten partners working under Phelan and Fuhrman at MSD Partners.

He joined MSD Capital in January 2002, shortly before the creation of MSD Partners.

Platek founded Griffin Partners, L.P. and Plymouth Partners, L.P., and he was also the Hedge Fund Portfolio Manager for the Proprietary Group of Paine Webber, in each case focusing primarily on distressed and high yield bonds as well as restructured equities. He has previously worked as a financial analyst of a debt restructuring and financial audit group, so would appear to be the accountant of the trio, so to speak.

He was educated at Rutgers University, receiving a B.S. degree in 1986.